


Beauty

by winterwaters



Series: Never Forget [5]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: F/M, First Date, Fluff, Modern AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-09
Updated: 2013-08-09
Packaged: 2017-12-22 21:13:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/918082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/winterwaters/pseuds/winterwaters
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Day 5 of AxG Week</p>
            </blockquote>





	Beauty

Arya uncapped the tube of red lipstick, willing her hand to stop shaking. Leaning closer to the mirror, she applied the bright color to her lips and then stood back. Chewing on her bottom lip nervously, she immediately made a face and wiped her mouth. It took two more tries before she was able to apply the red color without accidentally removing it a moment later.

Finally, Arya took stock of herself in the mirror. A stranger stared back at her.

Her hair had been brushed and teased out of its wild ponytail, now spilling over her shoulder in wavy curls - with no shortage of help from Sansa. Her grey eyes peeked out from under eyelashes accented by mascara, while her eyelids were lined with black. And of course, her bright red lips were curled in a frown.

She didn’t recognize herself at all. She wondered if that was a good thing. 

Then the doorbell rang, and Arya didn’t have any longer to think on it. Grabbing her small purse and slipping her feet into the heeled sandals Kel had lent her, she gingerly walked to the door. Gendry’s eyes bulged when he saw her, his eyebrows lifting in surprise. 

“Wow,” he breathed, and she smiled shakily. 

Dinner was … not what she had expected. Gendry kept throwing concerned looks her way, making her constantly wonder if her makeup had smeared or something was stuck in her teeth. It made her even more nervous, and because she had no idea how to be nervous, she simply got angry instead. Their conversation quickly became stilted and uneven, and by the end of the meal Arya felt awful.

To his credit, Gendry didn’t say a word against her, simply leading her to the car quietly. With no warning, though, he’d pinned her against the passenger door, his breath warm on her neck as she stared in surprise at his reflection in the window.

“What is all this, Arya?” He asked quietly.

“What?”

Gendry motioned to her face and dress. “This. It’s not like you.”

Arya whirled around. “What, it’s not like me to actually look pretty for once, is that it?” She spat the words out bitterly, and his eyes widened. But instead of taking a step back, as most would have done, Gendry moved even closer, his hands coming up to grasp her shoulders.

“Are you insane?” His voice was still quiet, but urgent. “Is that really what you think?”

Arya bit her lip and looked down, unsure of what to do or say. Gendry sighed and pulled her close, wrapping her in a tight hug. She was so surprised - and thankful that he hadn’t left - that she found herself gripping him tightly in response. When he pulled back, a smile pulled at the corners of his mouth. “You’re an idiot,” he whispered.

Before Arya could reply, he gently moved her to th side and swung the car door open. “Come on. Let’s go.”

She looked at him curiously, but decided to keep silent and climbed in. As he got in the driver’s seat, she kicked off her shoes with a grateful sigh, grinning sheepishly when he laughed.

The car was filled with a comfortable silence as they drove, and Arya began to relax. This was how she was used to feeling around Gendry - at ease in her own skin, without the pretenses of others. Seeing her reflection in the car window again, she began to feel more than a bit silly about her current state.

Then she recognized the street they were on and identified his apartment building as he found parking along the block. Gendry took her hand as they went up the stairs, lacing his fingers with hers, and she didn’t let go.

When they were inside his place safely, he turned to her with a raised eyebrow.

“What?” She asked defensively.

“You really did all this just for me?” He gestured again to her outfit, and Arya shrugged, shifting nervously. 

Gendry cupped her cheek. “Why?”

For once, Arya was at a loss for words. But he waited patiently until she managed to string together an explanation, though she thought it sounded rather feeble now. “Sansa and Margaery were over, and they were saying how I should try to look nice for you and all, seeing as it was a date, and well, I’ve never really done this before, and they have, so I thought I should listen to them...” She trailed off, feeling stupid. “Plus, I’ve seen all the girls that ask you out,” she muttered. 

Gendry’s ears turned red, nearly making her smile despite everything, but he only nodded. The hand on her cheek trailed down her arm until both his hands were wrapped around hers, and he was pulling her further into the apartment. 

“Gendry, what-”

He shushed her questioning, tugging her into the bathroom and closing the door. Placing his hands on his shoulders, he turned her towards the large mirror and stood behind her, resting his chin on her shoulder.

“Don’t get me wrong,” he said softly. “You do look quite lovely. But … I really don’t know this person. This isn’t the Arya I spent weeks nervously trying to ask to dinner.” 

Now his hands were pulling her to face him as he smiled down at her. Reaching behind him, he pulled a large hoodie off a hook and wrapped it around her waist, tying a careful knot by her belly button. Then he removed the hairtie from her wrist, and his hands wove into her long hair, pulling it back into a ponytail. Arya’s throat closed as she stood rooted to the spot, unable to do anything but watch him. Now Gendry took a washcloth, wetting it gently in the sink before raising it to her face.

“May I?” He requested. 

After a moment, Arya nodded. Her eyes closed as his hands came up to brush the cloth over her face, somehow gentle yet firm all at once. The rough beads of the towel picked up all the makeup she had painstakingly applied only hours earlier, leaving her skin feeling raw and free. Arya sighed in relief, her hands moving to rest lightly on Gendry’s waist. When she opened her eyes, he was looking down at her knowingly, adoration plain on his face. 

Rewetting the washcloth, he pressed it to her mouth without warning, and her lips parted in surprise. The white material quickly stained brightly with the color from her lips, and she hoped it wasn’t just her imagination that his fingers lingered by her mouth a few moments longer. 

Then Gendry tossed aside the towel and turned her again, smiling over her shoulder in the mirror. “Much better. That’s the Arya I know so well,” he murmured into her ear, and Arya was startled to see her cheeks turn red without the help of any makeup. Gendry saw it too, his smile only widening. “What a beauty,” came his whisper, and Arya elbowed him just so he wouldn’t see her own helpless grin.

It only stopped him for a moment, though, as his strong arms pulled her impossibly close again. Arya opened her mouth to thank him, only to have the words stick in her throat. So instead she rose on her tiptoes to press her lips to his, hoping he’d understand. Though she meant to be brief, he protested when she pulled away, leaning down to follow her until their mouths collided again. Now her lips parted under his insistent tongue, and Arya felt herself grin as the kiss became everything they were - combative, teasing, and honest.

Finally, she felt like herself again.


End file.
